A warm sense of pride filled her. “Thanks. I’m really quite smitten with it.”
He shifted into work mode as his gaze took in every nook and cranny h. Then he turned to her, and his eyes widened while his lips curled up in a smirk.
No. No, no, no.
Fucking Keith and his should-come-with-a-warning mouth. It’d been three days since the night of insanity, and she’d thought the hickey he’d so generously left on her neck had faded enough to be covered by her makeup alone and not a bulky turtleneck or scarf. Apparently not, since Jagger’s gaze zeroed in on it the second he looked at her. At her side, her hand twitched as though ready to slap over the incriminating mark without her brain’s approval.
“So, thanks for taking that food for Keith the other night. It was so nice of you to go out of your way like that. Hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”
Seriously? Could he be more obvious?
She narrowed her eyes and bit off her own laughter to maintain the glare. But it was a wasted effort. Her lips twitched, and the suppressed giggle came out as a snort. “I hope you aren’t that terrible at actual fishing.” She waved her hands in a come-on motion. “Get it all out now so you can get to work.” He was there to take measurements in her kitchen and bathroom.
“Oh, honey,” he said, still laughing. “Pretty sure this is gonna take a while to get out of my system. Then once I tell Ronnie and JP, it’s gonna start all over again.”
Her head dropped back as she groaned. “God, you guys all suck.”
“Not as much as Keith, it seems. Just ask your neck.”
Her face heated as her jaw dropped. This time she did press her palm to the spot on her neck. “You didn’t just say that.”
Slinging an arm across her shoulders, Jagger guided her to her kitchen with a chuckle. “Think of it this way, if we Bensons torture you with teasing, it means we like you. Actually, it means we really like you. Teasing is our love language.” After winking, he made his way to her cabinets, pulled a tape measure from his back pocket, and got to work.
As he measured, she considered what he’d said. What was probably a throwaway line for him had the warmth of acceptance spreading through her entire body.
They liked her.
Without knowing about her celebrity.
Without her buying them expensive gifts or meals in popular restaurants.
Without the glamorous outfits and perfect hair and makeup she’d relied on in LA.
Without their fifteen seconds of fame from an Instagram selfie with Scarlett.
What they did have, though, was a tiny snippet of insight to her past. They knew she had a messy history with drugs and alcohol and was newly sober.
And they still liked her.
Really liked her.
It had a joyous feeling bubbling up inside her. One she loved and wanted to hold onto for as long as possible.
“So, all joking aside, Keith told me about what happened the other night,” Jagger said over his shoulder.
“What?” she squeaked. “He told you?” Oh, God, that was a shrill shriek that just came out of her? Well, now she wanted to sink through the floor and die.
“Yeah, about our father hassling you at the garage. Of course he told me.”
Oh, he told his siblings about their father. Right, not about the wild monkey sex in the lobby. “Oh, yes. Your father, right. Of course.” She shook her head to clear the disturbing image of Keith dishing the dirty details to his siblings.
“Why?” Jagger asked, tossing her a smirk over his shoulder. “Did you think I meant something else?”
Her face burned. Of course, he knew what she’d been thinking. He’d seen the hickey after all. “Nope.” Clearing her throat, she said. “I knew you were talking about your father causing trouble.”
Jagger’s demeanor changed to serious and concerned. “Are you okay after all that? Keith said he hit you.”
“He slapped me, but I’m fine. My cheek was a little sore and red yesterday, but it’s barely noticeable today.”
“The old man has very few redeeming qualities,” he said, shaking his head, “but this is a new low, even for him. I’m sorry you got caught in our family mess.”
“Please don’t apologize. I’m really fine.” She gave him a cheery smile to demonstrate. She’d been shaken of course, but the sex with Keith threw her far more than the frightening moments with his father.
“Hold this for me.” He handed her the end of his measuring tape. “Right there on the edge of the island.”
She hooked the metal tab over the end of the Formica countertop and held it in place as Jagger stretched the tape the length of the kitchen island. “Is Keith okay?”
He turned to face her with a dark raised eyebrow. “You haven’t talked to him?”